As beautiful as the Caribbean is above water, an even more breathtaking and diverse landscape exists just below the surface, where an ecosystem of reefs boasts some of the best scuba diving and snorkeling on the planet. The Caribbean accounts for around 7 percent of the world’s shallow coral reefs, home to dozens of types of coral and as many as 700 species of reef fish.

Beyond being home to diverse sea life, the reefs also shelter island shorelines from the threat of devastating hurricanes.By acting as a natural barrier to buffer the effects of waves and erosion, reefs are essential to coastal communities. And with 70 percent of Caribbean populations living along coastlines, reef health is critical in this region.

But the Caribbean reefs are part of an ecosystem that could be in danger of extinction. The coverage of coral reefs in the Caribbean region has declined by more than 50 percent over the past 30 years. From ocean acidification to global warming, threats to the Caribbean region’s coral reefs are rife. That’s why we are exploring the promising initiatives that are working to preserve and protect these delicate underwater ecosystems.

Partnership For Preservation

The Florida-based nonprofit ocean research center Mote Marine Laboratory recently partnered with an international nature conservancy to facilitate coral restoration from the Florida Keys south throughout the Caribbean. Launched in September 2016, the 15-year project aims to restore more than one million corals throughout the Caribbean, an unprecedented initiative that would have a hugely positive impact on rebuilding the depleted reef ecosystems throughout this region. By developing innovative methods to grow staghorn, brain, boulder and star coral fragments at accelerated rates, Mote Marine Laboratory has already planted more than 20,000 fragments along Florida’s reefs― and next they’ll head to the Caribbean.

The project also plans to establish a coral gene bank, which would preserve different strains of coral tissue and allow researchers to determine which strains are most robust and resilient to environmental threats. The Mote Marine Laboratory partnership will create a much needed bridge between world-class scientific research and a platform to share that knowledge with coastal communities.

Three phasesof the partnership will lead to measurable results. In the first year, researchers will focus on identifying coral strains resilient to increasing water temperatures, ocean acidification and disease. By 2020, the partnership will establish a coral gene bank of threatened Caribbean and Florida coral species, serving as insurance against climate change and near-term catastrophic events that threaten reefs, such as oil spills and coral bleaching. And by 2025, the goal is to plant one million coral fragments throughout the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Florida Keys, as well as 500,000 fragments in Caribbean nations.

Open-Sourcing The Ocean

Just as Mote’s collaboration aims to unite scientific research around the world, an innovative project launched by the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) aims to collect vast amounts of open-source data on the world’s oceans. TheOceanScope programutilizes Royal Caribbean cruise ships to house oceanographic and meteorological instruments aboard ships that regularly travel through the Caribbean, providing valuable real time temperature and current data to scientists.

Climate change plays an integral factor in the health of coral reefs, making this unprecedented level of research paramount to saving these valuable ecosystems. Warmer water temperatures lead to coral bleaching, which not only strips corals of vital nutrients and their vibrant colors, but also makes them more susceptible to disease. And as carbon dioxide levels in the ocean increase, the water becomes more acidic. Ocean acidification makes corals unable to absorb calcium carbonate, which they need to maintain their skeletons.

By collecting a vast amount of oceanic data on climate change, scientists will gain a better understanding of how climate factors are impacting coral reefs.This is the first stage in what OceanScope envisions as a global fleet of commercial vessels carrying automated instrumentation that can act as satellites of the sea.

Taking A Cue From Bonaire

While most of the Caribbean has witnessed the loss of more than 60 percent of its living coral, the island of Bonaire, consistently ranked as one of the best scuba diving destinations in the world, has experience half that loss in the past three decades. For scientists, the larger question is why? What is the secret of Bonaire’s thriving reefs, and how can those conditions be replicated throughout the Caribbean?

Some of the answers are site-specific: Bonaire is coraline, meaning that there is little dirt to runoff into the ocean and kill the surrounding coral. Bonaire has also managed to avoid most of the hurricanes and tropical storms that have hit the region in the past 100 years, which has kept its coral reef structure intact.

More surprising is how tourism may have helped preserve the reefs surrounding Bonaire. Renowned for its excellent dive sites, Bonaire has long attracted divers to its more than 80 diveable reefs, where the clear water and amazing variety of colorful fish make it an underwater oasis. Diving provides a great source of tourism for Bonaire― and the biggest source of income on the island. As such, the local government has placed heavy restrictions on fishing in the island’s surrounding waters, so as not to deplete the fish population. The result? Bonaire’s coral reef ecosystem has suffered significantly less depletion than that of surrounding Caribbean islands. While there’s a delicate balance to fishing laws—given that fish make up such a big part of Caribbean cuisine—placing sensible restrictions on fishing may be a great first step for the region at large.

In addition to supporting destinations like Bonaire, tourists also can take more active roles in protecting the reefs by participating in clean up dives throughout the region. Organizations such asDive Friends Bonaireregularly organize dives to remove trash, plastic bags, lead weights and other debris from the reefs, andDive.Inprovides step-by-step advice for organizing your own underwater clean up dive.

Environmentally conscious travelers can support coral reef health and restoration by getting involved with conservation efforts in the region. Royal Caribbean supports ocean health through itsSave The Wavesprogram, which funds programs such as OceanScope.

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

At the boot 2017 in Düsseldorf, Bavaria Yachts presented the new flagship of their sailing yachts’ fleet. The Bavaria C57 does not only convince with a new modern design but also with many new innovative details.

With the slogan ‘Something big is coming’ Bavaria Yachts announced in autumn the world premiere of their new flagship. It happened at the boot 2017. On the first Saturday, the well-known shipyard for serial yachts presented the Bavaria C57 to the public for the first time.

With 88 square metres, the Bavaria C57 offers the largest living space in this class. Entering the saloon via the broad laddenway, one realizes the size of the Bavaria C57 all over again. On the starboard side is a large lounge area. On port side, the large saloon table is ready for a big dinner party with guests and friends. The pantry is situated in the front main bulkhead on starboard and port side. The oven with stove and a sink can be found on port side.

The fridge with freezing compartment as well as a large worktop are placed on starboard.

The elegant lines of the hull, the gigantic sail area and the high performance of the Bavaria C57 originate from Cossutti Yacht Design in Italy. Maurizio Cossutti and his partner Alessandro Ganz are well-known for their fast and in its lines beautiful sailing yachts. PULS Yachts who are owned and managed by chief engineer Leo Curin, are responsible for the innovative design of the interior.

A whole new construction concept is being used for the Bavaria C57: Hull and deck are being build using the vaccum infusion technology Vakutec.

The result: hulls are up to 20% lighter and at the same time more stable. Modutec is the second innovation with which Bavaria Yachts prove their market leading position in the serial construction of yachts. The whole interior is being assembled in modules outside of the hull, including all installations. Only once the production is completed are the modules put into the hull. The largest sailing yacht is already known to be a milestone in the history of Bavaria Yachts.

When it comes to entertainment, your next flight may be strictly BYOD: bring your own device.

American Airlines will not install seat-back TVs in its 100 new Boeing 737 Max planes, according to a company statement released Tuesday. Instead, passengers will be able to stream free movies, TV shows and live TV to their phones, tablets and laptops.

“More than 90 percent of our passengers already bring a device or screen with them when they fly,” read the statement posted to American’s internal website. The airline will invest in faster internet service and focus on streaming “rather than installing seat-back monitors that will be obsolete within a few years.”

But don’t cry just yet: Your seat-back TV is sticking around, at least on some flights. JetBlue is keeping TVs, Skift notes, as will American’s current-generation Boeing 737s. And Delta’s incoming order of new planes will have seat-back screens as usual, Delta spokesman Anthony Black told HuffPost.

“By now, passengers are used to using three or four screens at a time, and that’s not going to change,” Black said. “So our aircraft will continue to have seat-back entertainment.”

TVs also seem to be essential on long-haul flights: American’s international flights will continue to feature seat-back screens, the carrier’s statement said.

When it comes to entertainment, your next flight may be strictly BYOD: bring your own device.

American Airlines will not install seat-back TVs in its 100 new Boeing 737 Max planes, according to a company statement released Tuesday. Instead, passengers will be able to stream free movies, TV shows and live TV to their phones, tablets and laptops.

“More than 90 percent of our passengers already bring a device or screen with them when they fly,” read the statement posted to American’s internal website. The airline will invest in faster internet service and focus on streaming “rather than installing seat-back monitors that will be obsolete within a few years.”

But don’t cry just yet: Your seat-back TV is sticking around, at least on some flights. JetBlue is keeping TVs, Skift notes, as will American’s current-generation Boeing 737s. And Delta’s incoming order of new planes will have seat-back screens as usual, Delta spokesman Anthony Black told HuffPost.

“By now, passengers are used to using three or four screens at a time, and that’s not going to change,” Black said. “So our aircraft will continue to have seat-back entertainment.”

TVs also seem to be essential on long-haul flights: American’s international flights will continue to feature seat-back screens, the carrier’s statement said.

When it comes to entertainment, your next flight may be strictly BYOD: bring your own device.

American Airlines will not install seat-back TVs in its 100 new Boeing 737 Max planes, according to a company statement released Tuesday. Instead, passengers will be able to stream free movies, TV shows and live TV to their phones, tablets and laptops.

“More than 90 percent of our passengers already bring a device or screen with them when they fly,” read the statement posted to American’s internal website. The airline will invest in faster internet service and focus on streaming “rather than installing seat-back monitors that will be obsolete within a few years.”

But don’t cry just yet: Your seat-back TV is sticking around, at least on some flights. JetBlue is keeping TVs, Skift notes, as will American’s current-generation Boeing 737s. And Delta’s incoming order of new planes will have seat-back screens as usual, Delta spokesman Anthony Black told HuffPost.

“By now, passengers are used to using three or four screens at a time, and that’s not going to change,” Black said. “So our aircraft will continue to have seat-back entertainment.”

TVs also seem to be essential on long-haul flights: American’s international flights will continue to feature seat-back screens, the carrier’s statement said.

When it comes to entertainment, your next flight may be strictly BYOD: bring your own device.

American Airlines will not install seat-back TVs in its 100 new Boeing 737 Max planes, according to a company statement released Tuesday. Instead, passengers will be able to stream free movies, TV shows and live TV to their phones, tablets and laptops.

“More than 90 percent of our passengers already bring a device or screen with them when they fly,” read the statement posted to American’s internal website. The airline will invest in faster internet service and focus on streaming “rather than installing seat-back monitors that will be obsolete within a few years.”

But don’t cry just yet: Your seat-back TV is sticking around, at least on some flights. JetBlue is keeping TVs, Skift notes, as will American’s current-generation Boeing 737s. And Delta’s incoming order of new planes will have seat-back screens as usual, Delta spokesman Anthony Black told HuffPost.

“By now, passengers are used to using three or four screens at a time, and that’s not going to change,” Black said. “So our aircraft will continue to have seat-back entertainment.”

TVs also seem to be essential on long-haul flights: American’s international flights will continue to feature seat-back screens, the carrier’s statement said.

When it comes to entertainment, your next flight may be strictly BYOD: bring your own device.

American Airlines will not install seat-back TVs in its 100 new Boeing 737 Max planes, according to a company statement released Tuesday. Instead, passengers will be able to stream free movies, TV shows and live TV to their phones, tablets and laptops.

“More than 90 percent of our passengers already bring a device or screen with them when they fly,” read the statement posted to American’s internal website. The airline will invest in faster internet service and focus on streaming “rather than installing seat-back monitors that will be obsolete within a few years.”

But don’t cry just yet: Your seat-back TV is sticking around, at least on some flights. JetBlue is keeping TVs, Skift notes, as will American’s current-generation Boeing 737s. And Delta’s incoming order of new planes will have seat-back screens as usual, Delta spokesman Anthony Black told HuffPost.

“By now, passengers are used to using three or four screens at a time, and that’s not going to change,” Black said. “So our aircraft will continue to have seat-back entertainment.”

TVs also seem to be essential on long-haul flights: American’s international flights will continue to feature seat-back screens, the carrier’s statement said.

.You won’t regret seeing the egrets in Long Key State Park and here’s a fact that you learn when you travel the Golden Orb Nature Trail. In 1886 Egret feathers were so valued for use in women’s hats that they sold for twice the price of gold. If you take the over two mile Long Key Bridge to Conch Key you will see all manner of exotic birds competing with the local fishermen who wheel their wagons of bait and tackle to their favorite perches. Looking out on the ocean side, it’s a Darwinian Olympics with birds swooping down to nail their prey just as anglers cast their lines, their faces lighting up as they reel in a catch. Leaving the village of Islamorada, the sign reads “catch you later.” After you cross Grassy Key, one of the 1700 that you may never have heard, you will come to the Dolphin Research Center, where you can also watch and learn about sea lions. Here is a typical morning at the DRC, 9:30 Play With Dolphins, 11:30 Manatee session, 12:30 Dolphin Encounter. Remember Flipper? Many of the stars of the l963 movie were dolphins trained by Milton Santini the fisherman who first brought dolphins to Grassy Key and whose training methods would pave the way for the DRC. Was Leonard Cohen thinking about the Keys when he wrote “Bird on a Wire?” As you travel south on Route 1 passing little islets with names like Fiesta and Duck and witness the daily feast of nature, you can’t help humming the notes of the song to yourself.

–“birds on wires” over Long Key Bridge (photograph by Hallie Cohen)

{This was originally posted to The Screaming Pope, Francis Levy’s blog of rants and reactions to contemporary politics, art and culture}

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

A recent survey by Morpace, a market research and consulting firm, found that only one-fourth of all respondents plan to engage in some type of sharing service. Some 75% of respondents plan to buy or lease a vehicle in the next five years, and only slightly fewer, 71%, intend to purchase or lease a new vehicle.

That’s a shame. The latest car-sharing innovations can score you a ride for less, or put you behind the wheel of your favorite vehicle. Most important, they can save you the headache of all the bothersome car rental fees and surcharges.

“Car sharing has become a fairly widespread phenomenon,” says Susan Shaheen, a professor at UC Berkeley and the co-director for the university’s Transportation Sustainability Research Center. But roadblocks to adoption remain, including service definitions and a widespread lack of understanding about how car sharing works.

Turo may be the most established of the peer-to-peer car rental companies, but it’s hardly alone (see below). These rental companies and sharing services meet different needs among car rental customers, and taken together, they have the potential to change the way you drive for the better.

They can save you money, for starters. A one-month, midsize rental in Phoenix from a traditional car rental company, which doesn’t include insurance, will set you back about $940. The Turo price costs $52 less and includes insurance.

“The price of the cars is very comparable — and sometimes much less — than the major car rental agencies, and you can get a much much nicer car for the money,” says Bruce Mesnekoff, general manager for a company that assists students with their college debt.

Mesnekoff cites his most recent rentals, all through Turo. There was the Jaguar F Type convertible ($135 per day), the Mercedes C-class convertible ($103 per day), a Tesla ($225 per day) and — he’s not making this up — a Maserati ($135 per day).

Leo Nguyen, a biochemist from San Francisco, recently rented a 2015 Honda Odyssey through Turo and was impressed by the selection and simplicity. Not only could he select the exact car and model — something traditional car rental companies can’t do — but he didn’t face the hard sells for insurance or upgrades you get when you rent from a traditional car rental company.

“The experience was great,” he says. “I got the car I wanted for a really good price.”

But you give some things up, too. Nguyen warns to look for mileage limits, which some hosts put on their cars. Some monthly Turo cars cap the “free” miles at 1,500 and charge you 75 cents per mile after that, which can add up quickly. Also, after one of his cars was broken into Nguyen discovered that his credit card didn’t cover the damage as it would have for a rental car. Peer-to-peer rental vehicles are excluded from his cardmember coverage.

All of which brings us back to Lupini, the photographer from Michigan. A pebble smacked her Saturn’s windshield, leaving a small chip. Filing a claim through Turo would have meant she’d have to replace the entire windshield.

“I made a deal with the owner to pay him an extra $100,” she says. He fixed it himself. Problem solved.

Well, no one said the system was perfect. But once car sharing takes off, it’s going to be big. Over time, it could bring even more competition to the car rental industry, reduce vehicle ownership and even free up valuable parking space.

Car sharing may not have had its Airbnb moment yet, but just wait. It’s right around the corner.

Cheaper car rental options

• Peer-to-peer car services. Companies such as Turo.com (turo.com) and Getaround (getaround.com) let you rent another person’s car in almost exactly the same way you can rent someone else’s home or apartment through Airbnb. They’re typically less expensive than a car rental company and offer a wide variety of vehicles. For example, Getaround is currently available in 11 cities, including San Francisco, Portland, Ore., Washington, D.C., and Chicago. Its rentals, which start at about $50 a day, include insurance.

• Rental hybrids. Car-sharing services such as Zipcar (zipcar.com), which is owned by Avis Budget Group, and Maven (mavendrive.com), GM’s new car-sharing service, can get you a set of wheels quickly. They’re usually meant for shorter-term rentals in urban areas.

• Check with your rental company. Car rental companies are trying to stay competitive. For example, Hertz offers discounted rates and provides special offers for multiweek and monthly car rentals. (AAA members save $40 on a weekly car rentals now through Jan. 31, for example.)

Italy’s coast, lakes and mountains are popular among Guardian readers for family camping holidays, but sites in France, Portugal and Switzerland get a look-in too

Camping Les Sapins is an unpretentious family-friendly site on the outskirts of Gruyères. It’s divided by a stream: one side for caravans, one side for tents, with a wooden “troll” bridge in between. A small restaurant in Swiss mountain-hut style serves traditional food, mostly themed around the famous local cheese. The main attraction is its mountain location, with opportunities for walking along well-marked trails. On a hill about 2km away is the medieval town of Gruyères, with its château repurposed as an artists’ retreat in the 19th century. But the most surprising contrast to the pretty cobbled streets is the museum of Swiss surrealist HR Giger. The bright cheery streets give way to a museum full of paintings from the Necronomicon horror stories. Across the road is the equally gothic Giger Café. As an antidote, stroll down the hill to the cheese factory for comforting images of happy cows.
• Camping 8 Swiss francs (£6.40) a night for a tent, plus 8/9/11 francs (children/teens/adults),potentille.chMichael Davis